Bird Language, Jan 6

Post date: Jan 15, 2018 5:5:12 PM

On Saturday, January 6, we had a cold weather bird sit. Based on scouting by participants in the Ring 2 activity before the group sit, there was no signs of birds in the sit area. But by 10:30 am when the sit started, activity was picking up. The first period started with a hawk flying through the northwest part of the sit area toward the Visitors Center. Birds were very quiet in that area. After the hawk flew through a Black-capped Chickadee called with what sounded like an "all clear" signal. Later we heard from feeder watchers in the Visitors Center that a Sharp-shinned hawk flew by the feeders at about that time. Throughout the sit we observed a feeding flock of Chickadees and White-breasted Nuthatches in the southwest part of the sit area. They started relatively high in the canopy, but during Period 4 the Chickadees dropped with a couple of them feeding near the ground. We also heard a Chickadee sing its song that we often hear in springtime, usually not during a cold day in the winter!